HOUSTON — Astros pitcher Jarred Cosart has apologized after he using a gay slur to describe pop star Justin Bieber when he tweeted a message to a former teammate.

Jarred Cosart

Cosart was joking around with Phillies minor league outfielder (and former teammate) Tyson Gillies on Twitter when he described Bieber as “that fag.”

Cosart deleted the offensive tweet from his account and later apologized for “a very poor choice of words.”

He also says in a follow-up tweet that the earlier post does not reflect who he is as a person.

The Astros also released a statement Monday night calling Cosart’s tweet “unacceptable” for any member of the organization. The Astros say they talked to Cosart about the post and he is “extremely remorseful.”